Modern Office Design: Removing the Frustration

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

No one office space is exactly the same as any other, without the use changing from company to company. No one person’s design preferences can be exactly the same as everyone else’s, while also suiting every company’s individual branding needs. No one company’s process is exactly the same as the one next door, requiring the exact same configuration and tools as a completely difference business. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about a modern reception area, a conference room, or an open workspace—however...

They are asking you to be unreasonable.That’s exactly what ready-made office furniture asks of you. In order to suit the office furniture manufacturer’s process, you, the office furniture user, get pigeonholed into designing your office space with the same size, look, and feel as the company next door. That’s great for the manufacturer, because they don’t have to think about the user’s individual needs or change their production process at all. You, on the other hand, are forced to look, feel, and work just like everyone else. When you think about it, how sucky is that?

People are frustrated with the typical office design process.When David, a lawyer from a northeastern law firm, wanted to buy office furniture for the new office they were moving into, he did what most people do: he set out to look locally (in his area). All he really thought about at the time was that his office design had to be modern. As a lawyer, and not a modern office furniture designer, he quickly became frustrated with being put into a design box and not knowing how to get out.

Not only were the prices too high, the furniture looked (to him) like every other piece of furniture he had ever seen. One problem was that he had no clue about design, quality, size needs, or how to put it all together. Based upon my many years of experience in the industry, I understand there’s a good chance the salespeople with whom he consulted didn’t know the differences themselves—after all, they’re salespeople, not furniture designers.

Dissatisfied, frustrated, and confused by the whole modern office furniture-buying process, David did what any other red-blooded American would do: he went to the Internet for help. That experience was even more confusing, because there was no personal assistance, no design help, and no one to help make the right selections for his personal business. He became confused, and had no idea what he was looking at—what the differences were from one piece of office furniture to another.

Modern Office Furniture—With a Breath of Fresh AirThen something interesting happened. David clicked on a website: http://90degreeofficefurniture.com/. As he recalls, it was late on a Saturday afternoon that he picked up the phone and called. After no one answered, he hung up and planned to call back on Monday morning. Much to his surprise, he received a callback that same day, even though he had not thought to leave his phone number. Not only did he get a callback, but the design assistant spent thirty minutes with him answering his questions and explaining product differences, material variations, design elements, and appropriate size for the spaces he needed to furnish, given his use requirements for his modern conference table and reception desk.

Designing Your Office with a Limited BudgetWithout an unlimited budget (like many companies), he felt he needed to look at custom office furniture in person. David explained how the design assistant helped him to understand how to use design elements to stabilize spending. That Monday, (in another phone conversation) he learned how to balance cost by matching type and use of materials with design complexity. He was introduced to materials not even present on the website. That got his juices flowing.

David recalls that the whole experience opened his eyes to strategies, designs, colors, and layouts he would never otherwise have thought about. Because there was a glass wall separating his conference room, he was shown how he could have a modern reception desk and a modern conference table basically across from one another—and have them complement one other without being matchy-matchy.

Designing a Modern Office Doesn’t Have to be FrustratingThere’s no doubt about it: putting together a properly-functioning office is a job for a professional designer. It’s no secret that every company would probably like to hire a professional, but it’s just not in everyone’s budget. If that’s your dilemma, give 90 Degree Office Concepts a call.